Michael Swickard's new novel about New Mexico

From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Where there's wind, there's damage. That's what Action 7 News crews found around the metro area as winds picked up to speeds close to 50 mph. It didn't take long before all that power snapped a power line that left a block of homes in southeast Albuquerque in the dark. For a couple of hours, people here didn't know whether it was even safe to go outside, as a wire hung loose against a metal fence. No matter where our crews went, there were plenty of messes around town, including construction signs toppled over by powerful gusts. Wind wasn't the only element causing trouble. A small shed fire, driven by winds to nearby brush in the North Valley, caused a bit of a scare. But firefighters quenched the threat without any problems. read more

From the Farmington Daily Times - By Chuck Slothowerdaily - FARMINGTON — Lt. Gov. John Sanchez is scheduled to deliver the keynote address for the Four Corners Oil and Gas Conference at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The 10th biannual conference Wednesday and Thursday at McGee Park will feature 21 speakers on a variety of topics. More than 2,500 industry officials are expected to attend. Scheduled talks cover a variety of topics. Conference founder Norman Norvelle will be recognized with a plaque during the opening ceremonies. The conference is one of the largest events regularly held in Farmington, and local motels and restaurants expect an uptick in business this week. Scheduled topics include state and federal regulation, including New Mexico's controversial pit rule, shale gas development, insurance, wireless communications, field compression optimization, lightning prevention, air quality monitoring and many more. Read more

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - As if New Mexico firefighters did not already have their hands full with lightning, pyromaniacs, careless people and fireworks, now they have terrorists to worry about too. The latest issue of Inspire, Al Qaeda's English language magazine, urges its readers to start wildfires in the United States, complete with instructions on the best ways to start them, and the best weather conditions for fires to spread. Here in New Mexico, firefighters and state public safety officers met Monday afternoon to discuss the threat from Al Qaeda. "We are prepared," said Governor Susana Martinez. "Our firefighters are on alert, the National Guard, we have our police officers in every county ready to respond. We have great hope that it's not going to happen, however we are very well prepared." "What we saw published were maps of high fire danger areas and some instructions on how to build some devices to start fires, as well as where to actually start the fires," said State Forester Tony Delfin. "That's a concern to us." Fire danger is already extreme in many parts of the state, with severe drought, high winds, and choked forests setting the stage for catastrophic fires. All it takes is a spark. read more

FrontPageMag.com - by Eric Burns - The latest chapter in the Obama administration’s war against state sovereignty and the state of Arizona pits the town of Tombstone against the United States Forest Service. Tombstone is suing the U.S. Forest Service over that agency’s refusal to allow city officials to repair damaged water transport infrastructure in the nearby Huachuca mountains. The Forest Service’s refusal to allow city workers access to damaged reservoirs, pipelines, and pumping stations, has cut Tombstone off from 50 to 80 percent of its water supply; leaving town residents and tourists dependent on two wells for water, and the town acutely vulnerable to fire. In addition, the water in one well is contaminated with arsenic. Tombstone is supplied with water from 24 springs, located in the Huachuca Mountains on and around Miller Peak. However, nearly a year ago, from May through July 2011, the Monument fire destroyed at least 18,580 acres of forest and vegetation in the Huachuca Mountains, including the Miller Peak Wilderness area. Torrential rains followed soon after the fire, and the resulting mud slides pushed boulders “the size of Volkswagens” down on vital pumping stations, pipes, and other infrastructure. In August 2011, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared a state of emergency in Tombstone, authorizing $50,000 in state funds to help cover engineering and repair costs for Tombstone’s water system. Since many of the pipelines are in areas designated as “wilderness,” the U.S. Forest Service won’t allow access for the mechanized equipment needed to fix the pipelines. These obstacles can’t be moved with the hand tools and horse teams that the Forest Service demands the city use. The Obama administration and the U.S. Forest Service are clearly attempting to regulate the state of Arizona in violation of the Constitution and impose an arbitrary, draconian environmentalist agenda on the land use rights of Americans. The Forest Service cites The Wilderness Act of 1964, which defines “Wilderness” as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area of wilderness is further defined to mean…an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation…with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable.” Under “Prohibition of Certain Uses,” this act states, “[S]ubject to existing private rights, there shall be no…permanent road within any Wilderness area designated by this Act and, except as necessary to meet minimum requirements for the Administration of the area…(including measures required in emergencies involving the health and safety of persons within the area) there shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment…no other form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within any such area.” However, the Forest Service has gone beyond the Wilderness Act and threatened Arizona’s sovereignty and Tombstone’s very existence. read more